Island



(No Model.)

G. R. SHERMAN.

DRESS FORM.

No. 424,230 I Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

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I W mafia PATENT OFFICE.)

GEORGE R. SHERMAN, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

DRESS- FORM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,230, dated March25, 1890.

' Application filed March 18, 1389.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. SHERMAN, of Providence, in the county ofProvidence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Dress-For1ns, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention has reference to an improvement in the construction ofdress-forms, by which the adjustment of the form can be moreconveniently made, the whole dressfOll'll more readily packed into asmall coinpass, and the dress-form assume more nearly the desiredoutline, so as to support the dress in the same manner as it would be onthe person wearing it.

To this end the invention consists in the peculiar and novelconstruction of the actuating-slide, the peculiar and novel arrange.ment of the expanding-braces, the construction of the ribs forming theskirt portion of the dress-form, and the support, as will be more fullyset forth hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view showing my improved dress-formexpanded for use. Fig. 2 is a sectional View showing the standard withits longitudinal groove and the operating sliding block. Fig. 3 is asectional view showing the upper and lower sliding block, the method forsecuring the hinged braces, and the locking-pin. Fig. 4. is a view ofthe support of the standard, showing the legs folded.

In the drawings similar numbers of reference designate correspondingparts through out.

Dress-forn1s are now largely used for draping the skirts at the home ofthe customers instead of draping them 011 the person. For this purposeit is essential that the dressform can be packed into a small spaceconvenient to be carried. It is also essential that the dress-for1nshall be of the form or outline demanded by the fashion, which consistsin artificial extensions of the human form. The dress-form shown in Fig.1 is constructed to correspond to the present fashion,

in which the skirt is required to fall in front Serial No. 303,660. (Nomodel.)

close to the figure and expand in the rear, so as to extend considerablybeyond the figure. To this end I use in my improved dress-form braces ofdifferent lengths to produce the desired outline in the dress-form.

Referring to the drawings, 5 indicates the post forming the support ofthe dress-form, and G the legs hinged to a sliding block secured to thepost 5 by the clamp-screw 8.

7 indicates a plate secured to the lower end of the post 5. This plate 7is provided with three openings, into which the lower end of the legs 6enter when the same are folded, as is shown in Fig. 4. In this positionthey are secured by clamping the sliding block to the post 5 by means ofthe clamp-screw 8. The post 5 is provided at the upper end with the tube9, forming a socket in which the standard 10 is supported and in whichit can turn.

The standard 10 is provided with the longi-.

tudinal groove 11. The sliding blocks .12 and 13 are provided withfeathers,which enter the groove 11, so that the braces are held againstindependent rotation. In a dress-form in which irregular expansion is tobe produced it is essential that the braces retain their positions, soas to expand the ribs in the desired direction. The whole dress-form canbe rotated, as the standard 10 is free to rotate in the socket 9. Thevertical ribs 14 are supported by the braces 15 near the bottom and thebraces 16 at the hip portion of the dressform by means of the braces 17,extending from the sliding block 13 to the braces 16, and thus expandingthe same in the same manner as an umbrella is usually expanded. The

sliding block 13 is provided with the springcatch 18, having at one enda pin which enters a hole or depression in the groove 11 of the standard10-. The fastening 19, (shown in Fig. 3,) consisting of a wire having aneye to be used as a handle at one end, may be used as a holding-pin 011the sliding blocks 12 and 13, and a coiled spring may be used to holdthe locking device 19 in place. The braces are all hinged in a ring madeof a strip of metal, the sides of which are slotted, so as to produce anumber of projections. These are turned over the center of the strip sothat their ends nearly meet. A. wire is now passed through the bracesand twisted together at the two ends, so as to hold the ends of thebraces in the spaces between the turned-over projections, as is shown inFigs. 2 and 3.

The skeleton of the dress-form is made entirely of wire, so as to be aslight as possible. To give it the desired stiffness, the wires are bentas follows: The vertical ribs 14: are made of one piece of wire, the oneend of which is first bent at the lower end 20. Then at the point 21itis bent in a double bend to form the opposite side of the verticalrib. At 22 it is again bent to cross over to the first side. At theupper end it is bent so as to extend upward behind the belt-band 24,thence over the belt-band to its lower edge, Where the wire is bent andcarried again upward, then bent over the upper edge of the belt-band24:, down behind the same, and thence parallel with the first wire tothe point 22, where it is bent across the first bend to the oppositeside of the vertical rib and carried down to point 21, where the Wireagain crosses over the previously-formed bend and extends down to theend which is bent to meet the beginning of the wire. The two ends aresecured by the metal clamp-piece 25 The vertical ribs are stiffened bythe cross-ribs formed of a piece of Wire having a loop formed at itsmiddle. The ends of the wire of the cross-braces 26 are secured bybending around one of the wires of the vertical ribs 141 below the point21, so that in folding the dress-form the ends can slide on the wire ofthe vertical ribs. The

braces 16 are bent at their inner ends to receive the wire by which theyare secured in the sliding block. The wire forming the braces 16 isagain bent about midway to form an eye to receive the braces 17, and attheir outer ends to form an eye, through which the wire securing them tothe slide passes, and by bending the outer end over and around the wlresof the vertical ribs where they cross at the point 21.

By thus constructing the dress-form of wire and crossing and bracing thesame a durable, light, and cheap dress-form is produced that can bereadily carried from placeto place and quickly set up for use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a dress-form, the combination, with thestandard, the sliding blocks, and the radial braces, of the verticalribs, each constructed of one length of wire doubled at the upper endand formed into a hook, the two side wires of each rib extending eachfrom one side to the opposite side of the rib through the eyes of thebraces, and the ends of the wire at the lower end of the rib securedtogether by a clamp, as described.

2 The combination, in a dress-form, with the standard, the slidingblocks, and the ribs 14, constructed of asingle wire, as described, ofthe braces 15 and 16, individually of unequal length, so as to extendthe dress-form near the bottom and at the hips unequally, as described,their outer ends encircling the Wires of the ribs, and the sliding block13, the braces 17, and spring-catch 18, as described.

3. The combination, in a dress-form, with the standard provided with thegroove 11, the sliding bloeks,and the radial braces 15 -and 16,of theribs 14,0onstrueted of a single wire, as described, and the cross-braces26, secured to the outer ends of the braces 16 and to the wires of theribs 14 below the braces 15, as described.

GEORGE R. SHERMAN. Witnesses:

M, F. BLIGH, J (A. MILLER, Jr.

